Train Accident in Belgium Claims Lives of Schoolchildren

A tragic train accident occurred near Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of two children and two adults. According to Belgian officials, the crash involved a van carrying students from a special education school. Kurt Moens, a deputy responsible for education in the province of East Flanders, addressed the incident at a news conference held in Buggenhout, Belgium, where the crash happened.

The van, containing seven children, a driver, and a counselor, bypassed safety warnings at the railway crossing. Thomas Baeken, spokesman for transportation infrastructure operator Infrabel, confirmed that the barrier was down and red lights were on, but the van bypassed them and moved onto the tracks. Despite the emergency brake being deployed by the train, the crash could not be prevented. This accident, which took place at 8:08 a.m., was recorded on camera, and the footage will be part of the ongoing investigation.

Buggenhout, located less than 20 miles from central Brussels, witnessed the death of two children aged 12 and 15 years, along with the driver aged 49 and the counselor aged 27, as confirmed by Lisa De Wilde, spokeswoman for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office during the news conference. Five minors were hospitalized in critical condition. Fortunately, they were in stable condition by the time of the news conference, held just before 1 p.m.

Following the accident, Belgian and European officials expressed their condolences. Bernard Quintin, Belgian interior minister, shared via social media, “With great dismay, I learned of the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus was struck by a train. My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones. I wish the injured much strength.” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union’s executive arm, stated, “Today, Europe grieves with Belgium.”

This news update includes a correction related to an earlier error in picture caption timing, initially stating the wrong day. The correction clarified the image was taken on Tuesday, not Thursday.